I Start with a Bad Hand!

“Except for the swordsmanship club, we’re pretty much just extras.”

A student from the archery club standing next to me whispered in a low voice. I just chuckled and shrugged. Maybe because we’d worked together on strategies a few times, we’d gone from being somewhat awkward to having light everyday conversations. Unlike the determined look of the vanguard, the people at the back of the formation mostly looked like they wanted to go home.

“Keep it down. We’re here too. The equestrian club is just a bunch of coachmen without carriages.”

Hearing that, Agnes, who was holding the reins behind him, spoke in a lifeless tone.

“We’re not even included in the selected members. We’re just extras, treated like horses.”

At that, laughter erupted among the people around us. Unlike the vanguard, who were burning with a desire for victory, the people at the back had their own sense of camaraderie, wanting to get it over with and go home quickly.

But it hadn’t been like this from the start. Just yesterday, before we received our bows.

“What is this? Isn’t this a toy bow?”

Someone muttered as they looked at the flimsy, weak bow that seemed too inadequate to hit a target. The bowstring looked pitiful, seeming like it would snap if pulled too hard.

“This is different from what we practiced with.”

Unable to understand the situation, I raised my hand and asked. It wasn’t just the fact that we received such a toy-like bow, but the timing of it that was baffling. Giving us these bows a day before the competition—shouldn’t we at least have time to practice and get used to them?

“From this year, the supplies have changed. There were opinions that incorrect arrow hits posed a high risk of injury. The swordsmanship club also uses wooden swords.”

“But those are still proper wooden swords. This looks like it’ll break if it falls to the ground once.”

“My violin bow is sturdier than this.”

Discontented voices erupted from all around. Agatha, who was observing this, didn’t look pleased either. She called aside the academy staff member who brought the bows and had a long conversation. It didn’t seem to go well. Though Agatha’s tone indicated she wasn’t convinced, she calmly soothed the archery club students.

“Everyone, quiet. Just because the bows are like this doesn’t mean your skills have vanished. We still have a day left, so if you get used to them now, you’ll be able to shoot as usual.”

“But what if they break during the competition?”

One of the archery club students raised their hand and asked, still looking unconvinced. Agatha nodded in response to the question.

“I understand your concerns about the durability of the bows. I’ve been told it’s impossible to change them now….”

So, the archery club students ended up carrying several spare bows. With bows, arrows, and signal flares, they looked more like peddlers than archers, and they already appeared somewhat exhausted.

“Why did they suddenly change it this year? I don’t get it.”

“They said there were a few serious injuries from misfired arrows.”

“That’s why they’ve been sending priests from the temple every year. Ugh, who decided on this change anyway?”

However, time was too tight, and compared to the swordsmanship club, the archery club’s numbers were just a handful. Both in quantity and quality, the archery club students found themselves at a significant disadvantage. The enthusiasm they had previously shown had noticeably cooled as they gazed at the vanguard.

“What’s so great about winning here that the swordsmanship club is so desperate to push ahead?”

“It’s not the first time they’ve acted like this.”

“Even so.”

In response to someone’s question, the archery club student who had spoken to me earlier snorted and answered.

“They say if they win, they get to stand in front of the Sereti kids during the preliminary knight pledge ceremony.”

“That really doesn’t concern us.”

Even when I first heard it, the reward for victory seemed underwhelming, but the swordsmanship club students seemed to see it differently.

“Still, all their parents come, and prominent knight commanders attend at least once. So, for them, it’s a good opportunity.”

Indeed, for those aspiring to be knights, this was a chance to showcase themselves. While I understood their desire not to miss this opportunity, among the archery club students, it was becoming an established fact that receiving such flimsy bows was the swordsmanship club’s fault, and the voices of discontent were growing louder.

At that moment, white smoke erupted from the vanguard.

This year’s long-distance signaling device was a flare. At the signal indicating the formation was complete, the archery club students, who had been chatting continuously, fell silent and faced forward.

I felt the grip tighten on the hands around my waist from behind. Leaning slightly against the person holding the reins behind me, I muttered softly, “We can do this, right?”

A quiet whisper came to my ear, “Just do it like usual… and don’t get hurt.”

Irene, who spoke, showed no sign of nervousness. I loosened my neck lightly. Yes, Irene was behind me, and there was no one I knew who could match her skills in horsemanship.

‘It’s a relief that my senior is not in the swordsmanship or archery club.’

When we first heard the notice that all participants had to ride horses, we couldn’t help but be flustered.

‘What? They decided on their own and now we have to ride horses too.’

Though I had learned horseback riding from Irene, I wasn’t yet capable of riding alone without anyone’s help, and I didn’t even have my own horse. When I heard that someone had to ride with me, the first person that came to mind was Irene.

“…Me? There must be other equestrian club members who haven’t found a partner yet.”

Irene, looking slightly surprised, soon agreed readily. It was only natural. Among the equestrian club members, no one could ride as fast as Irene, and there was no horse as fierce as her black stallion.

In the distance, the sound of a whistle started. The simple, steady notes spread through the once-quiet forest. The tension began to spread to the rear of the formation, which had been relaxed.

“It seems Sereti is using horn trumpets for signals this time.”

“Looks like it.”

But as the sound grew louder, the strange, low horn trumpet mixed with the cry of an animal. In the heightened tension, everyone listened silently to the eerie melody.

“What is that…?”

Someone’s scream-like shout caused a stir. Something gigantic was approaching us. It was much taller than the trees of the forest, and it was coming closer.

The thing approaching from afar definitely resembled an elephant. But as its form became clearer, it was evident it wasn’t a complete elephant. It was something much more colossal. The beast, with tusks that seemed to pierce the sky, roared, revealing a mouth writhing with snake-like tentacles.

“…Oliphant!”

“How is that thing here? Are the Sereti out of their minds?”

Everyone was horrified at the unbelievable sight. I was no exception. In the original work… I don’t recall any mention of something like that appearing. Why did it suddenly show up? I squinted my eyes, trying to gauge its size.

‘If it’s that big from a distance, how massive is it up close?’

To make matters worse, vibrations from hoofbeats were starting to tremble the ground. The fierce momentum from before had faltered. Both people and horses began to panic.

“How are we supposed to take that down?”

“Archery club… what are you doing? Shoot it before it gets here!”

The previously orderly formation scattered in chaos.

“Everyone, calm down. That’s a fake created by magic! Reorganize the formation…!”

In the midst of the chaos, someone shouted. From a distance, I could see it clearly. Icarus was trying to calm everyone, but the fear instilled by five giant elephants was something even he couldn’t control.

As the large tusks and writhing tentacles in its mouth drew nearer, it felt like they could break free any moment and slither towards us, threateningly.

“Don’t be afraid. Just calmly destroy the magic stones that make up that form.”

“Archery club! Archery club!”

A fake, four-legged, hairy beast created with magic stones. I had faced living monsters that were bigger, had more legs, and even wings.

“No, don’t move forward.”

Even while trembling with fear, I tried to restrain the hesitant archery club members. I signaled to Irene. I could feel the muscles of the black horse twitching with a rough breath.

Irene hadn’t flinched even when the elephant appeared. The heartbeat I felt through Irene’s body against my back was calm and steady. So, I didn’t need to worry about Irene. I exhaled briefly.

There were five elephants in total. Each member of the archery club had only been allocated fifteen arrows, and our bows were already flimsy. If we wasted our arrows in panic, we would soon run out of weapons and lose our fighting power.

“Save your arrows.”

So, it will have to be done with just five arrows.